- Département
- Marne
- Site
- Perthois (Champagne humide), right bank of the Marne
- Inhabitants
- 10.996 (2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
Vitry-le-François is a sub-prefecture in the south-east of the Marne département, in the Perthois on the river Marne. As a canal junction and the starting point for the Lac du Der, it is a gateway to Champagne, not a wine town.
Location
Vitry-le-François lies in the south-east of the Marne département, on the right bank of the Marne. The town is regarded as the main centre of the Perthois, a flat landscape in the so-called Champagne humide (wet Champagne) of fields, meadows, ponds and poplar plantations. It is a good 30 kilometres to Châlons-en-Champagne and around 80 to Reims. About 10 kilometres to the south lies the Lac du Der-Chantecoq, the largest reservoir in France.
Champagne and the surrounding area
Vitry-le-François is neither a grand cru nor a premier cru village, and vine-covered slopes do not shape the townscape. The well-known growing areas such as the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs lie further to the north-west. Even so, the town is a practical stopping point for wine lovers: anyone travelling into Champagne from Lorraine or Burgundy often passes through, and the N4 and N44 trunk roads and the Paris–Strasbourg railway line meet here.
History
By French standards the town is young. King Francis I had it rebuilt in 1545 after the older Vitry, today Vitry-en-Perthois, was destroyed in war. The plan was drawn up by Girolamo Marini, and the town took the king's name and motto. In the First World War, General Joffre had his headquarters here in August 1914. In the Second World War, Vitry-le-François was about 80 per cent destroyed in 1940 and over 90 per cent in 1944. When it was rebuilt, the chessboard layout of the centre was kept.
King Francis I had it rebuilt in 1545 after the older Vitry, today Vitry-en-Perthois, was destroyed in war.
Canals and economy
Waterways shaped the town's development. Three canals meet here:
- the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne, formerly the Canal de la Marne à la Saône
- the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, built between 1838 and 1855
- the Canal latéral à la Marne towards Châlons-en-Champagne
Inland shipping helped the town to grow, and industry followed later, mostly settling in the Zone industrielle de Vitry-Marolles. Today Vitry-le-François has 10,996 inhabitants (2023).
Sights
The historic heritage is modest, but worth a look:
- Église Notre-Dame, a Baroque collegiate church
- Hôtel de Ville, the town hall, housed in a former Franciscan monastery of the 17th century
- Porte du Pont, a Baroque triumphal arch of 1748 in honour of Louis XIV
- Chapelle Saint-Nicolas
Vitry-le-François has been twinned with Tauberbischofsheim since 1966. If you are planning a trip to Champagne, the best plan is to combine a stop here with an excursion to the Lac du Der and visits to growers further west.
Pictures
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